Tiny Little Pinpricks
by Nagiana
Summary: Ellaria Winchester, eighteen-years-old, is the mastermind and leader behind the rebellion that freed District 10 from Peacekeeper control. Taken to District 13 to join the cause, it is there that she meets Gale Hawthorne and the others. Finding herself thrown into a new life that she doesn't know how to navigate, will she remain in control of her life, or unravel under the pressure
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so after a little thinking, I have finally decided to publish my first ever Hunger Games Fanfiction on here. It is primarily a Gale x OC Female fic with slight hints of Pollux x OC Female and Gale x Katniss, but primarily Gale with my OC Female. There is also a slight lemon in here but compared to my others, its not bad at all. But anyway, if you don't like Gale with another woman, then please, don't read :) **

**Now, I don't know why I proceed to put this in here, speaking people don't freaking listen anyway, but PLEASE, for the love of GOD, DO NOT send me flames or any bad reviews whatsoever! If you DO ignore my very nice request not to, then chances are, your gonna get a really angry PM from me lambasting you on the definition of what should be sent as a PM and what should be a review! **

**ANYWAY! I promise I'm a lot less of a meanie than I just appeared, so please, enjoy this story (I love the concept if I do say so myself) and please, if it strikes your fancy, review - I love those, especially the good, detailed ones! Now, onwards to the disclaimer (which is only gonna come once :)). And if you have any questions about the story line what's gonna happen next or anything else - seriously? wanna talk about the weather, want advice on what to eat for dinner - then just PM me. I'll get back to you as quickly as I can :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games, that belongs to Mrs. Collins. The only people I own are Ellaria, Jared - basically anyone who was not in the books and/or movie(s).**

**Enjoy! :)**

**- Nagiana**

* * *

The sky had been cloudless and a beautiful baby blue the day District 10 rebelled against the Capital. The grass had been the same bright, emerald green that it had been every day of Ellaria Winchester's life. The cows were the same fat, brown animals lowing in the fields, and her horse was the same tall, chestnut ball of energy underneath her as she went about riding him through the said fields on her quest of checking up on the grazing mammals. District 10's job was herding. It had been what Ellaria's mother and father had done, and it was what her grandfather and grandmother's career had been before they died. Everyone in her family had herded for Panem . . . everyone's family in District 10 herded, bred or butchered for Panem.

Ellaria's eyes sought out her husband's over the backs of the moving cattle, and she caught them a few meters back. Jared Winchester was sitting tall and imposing on his black stallion behind another herder, his chocolate brown locks that hung down to his chin, twinkled in the light and his tanned skin was as rough and as callused as the most ardent herder in District 10 even though he was only twenty-one-years-old. The cuffs of his flannel shirt were rolled up past his elbows, revealing strong, muscular arms, the veins appearing almost like pipelines against the taut skin. His grip on the leather reins was a firm, yet gentle hold.

Jared had been the hardest to persuade that this rebellion was for the good. He loved Ellaria, even more-so now that they were married and since she found out that she was pregnant with their first child, and he didn't want to put none of them in any unnecessary danger. But once he was finally persuaded that they needed to do this, the other people of the District came onto their side in droves, which was exactly what they needed. There was power in numbers, and surely the Peacekeepers, once confronted with such a huge force of mounted herders carrying the deadly tools of their trade, would not be able to handle them. History had shown that mounted Calvary was always the most powerful and versatile of troops, after all.

She nodded, and Jared nodded back, his lips pursed and his eyes hard as he returned his young wife's gaze. She caught her brother, Brandon's eyes through the dust and smoke clouding up from underneath the cattle and horse's walking hooves, and he nodded as well. It had been her beloved older brother, Brandon Swift, who had helped Ellaria formulate their plan behind Jared's back until it was basically watertight. He was second-in-command, answerable only to her.

Ellaria Winchester, eighteen-years-old, would lead District 10's second rebellion against Panem in seventy-five years, with only her brother and husband as her fellow commanders.

She hoped and prayed that it would be successful.

But most of all, she hoped and prayed that District 13 would back them up.

"Are you ready?" She asked the man riding alongside her, his bay mare snorting and chomping at the bit as they moved. Dean Bell swallowed heavily and nodded.

"I'm as ready as I can be about all this, I suppose. You sure this will work?" He asked her, and Ellaria sighed and turned her eyes onto him.

"I have a Plan B, if that's what you're asking . . ." She told him and he gazed at her in slight curiosity.

"And what's Plan B?" He asked slowly, and she glanced at him. She had already discussed it with Jared and Brandon – both of whom had vehemently opposed it – especially Jared - but she couldn't allow anyone else to take the fall for something that had been her plan all along. She wouldn't let her brother do it and she _definitely _would not let her husband.

"If the Peacekeepers get the upper hand – which is a pretty good chance that will happen, especially if District 13 doesn't back us up – you blame everything on me and hope to Hell that I am the only one persecuted!" She spoke, and the look of horror on Dean's face would have been comical if the current event wasn't so serious.

"Ellaria, are you _fucking_ insane?!" He hissed, and she nodded.

"Dean, I've already discussed it with Brandon and Jared, and I _promised_ them to do the same. Jared's young, Dean, I won't let him die because of me!"

"He _loves _you, Ellaria! He would _fight _to keep your safe and he would be lost and lifeless without you! Why do you constantly take that for granted?" He asked and Ellaria rolled her eyes.

"Taking even _that_ into consideration, I still will not let other people take the fall for something that was entirely of my making!" She told him stubbornly. "I know it won't make me as much of a martyr as the Mockingjay if we lose and I am executed, but still . . . maybe it'll be enough to inspire the other Districts . . ."

"Ellaria -!"

"For the love of God, Dean, do what I _fuckin'_ say!" She interrupted him in exasperation while piercing him with a pleading look. "I've had to work my ass off to get Jared to even remotely _entertain _the idea of letting me do this; I don't have time to persuade you too!" Dean pursed his lips for a moment before he resolutely nodded his head.

"Fine . . . I won't stop you, because I know how badly you want this rebellion – but that is the only reason why I am doing this – _for you_!" He sighed and glared at her for a moment before finally speaking again. "What do I do?"

"Jared's manning the back – making sure no cattle make a retreat, and he vowed to be the one to start it all. Brandon's manning the side closest to the forest, so they don't scatter in that direction, and Joshua is doing the same for this side. You'll be by me . . ." She told him and Dean didn't say anything for a moment before nodding his head.

"Sounds like a plan. What are _we_ going to be doing?"

Ellaria smiled a small smile, making it almost apologetic in a way. "After Jared starts the stampede, we'll lead the rest of the men . . . we'll be the first in."

"Why me? Why isn't Jared up here with you? He's your husband, it makes sense."

"I'm the one that started this rebellion, Dean. I should be in with the men when we attack . . . make them see that I'm not standing behind the lines with my thumb up my ass. I want to be useful . . . I want to exact as much revenge as they do. I won't let Jared be up here because I refuse to let him get hurt." Dean nodded.

"Fair enough and so far, it sounds like I'm with you. Are they ready?" He glanced behind them at the long column of cattle being herded to the main base of the Peacekeepers. Everybody in District 10 rode alongside them except for the children, the elderly and some of the mothers. Ellaria heaved a sigh.

"They're as ready as they ever could be . . ." She spoke and Dean sighed as they stopped before the main District 10 headquarters of the Peacekeepers. None of the patrollers gave them any heed. They were in the herding capital of Panem - they were long use to cattle grazing and herding practically at their doorstep. It would be a crucial mistake they would make.

Ellaria turned back around and nodded at Jared. He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes still as hard as flint and Ellaria could swear she saw the ghost of tears in his eyes before he eventually nodded back and turned his stallion around on his haunches, where he galloped towards the back of the column. Brandon and Joshua nodded as well, taking their places besides their retrospective flanks, herders backing them. When Jared would start the stampede, cattle would want to scatter everywhere. It was Brandon, Joshua and the herders they had chosen to help them make sure that they didn't scatter into the forest or to the meadows on Joshua's side. The success of this mission depended on the cattle being herded straight for the headquarters of the main Peacekeeper force.

"When does it happen?" Dean asked, but his question was answered for him when he heard her begin to count down under her breath from ten. She was at five when he tightened the reins on his bay mare, three when he deepened his seat in the saddle to prepare himself from whatever was about to happen.

When she reached one, it was like all Hell had broken loose.

Dean didn't know what the Hell Jared had done in order to get the cattle moving that fast, and he never would, but Hell was it effective! They shot forward like every one of them had been cattleprodded, and galloped right for the headquarters of the Peacekeepers, herders riding alongside them in order to keep them moving in one smooth, long, fluid column. They also had to make sure they were going the same speed the entire time too.

At first, the patrolling Peacekeepers didn't know how to take the massive column of cattle galloping straight for them. But once they realized that _they_ were their destination, they scrambled to quickly alert their fellows. But no matter how quickly they moved, it would still be too late, Ellaria realized with giddy pleasure. They had done what they had set out to do, they had the element of surprise on their side, and when the cattle crashed through the locked gates of the electric fence surrounding the main headquarters, Ellaria spurred her horse forward and took off at a gallop, Dean closely at her side and the rest of the herders behind them. They were brandishing an all manner of weapons – bullwhips, pipes, horseshoeing hammers, butcher knives and a lot more. The more dangerous of them handled cattle prods. Those were the weapons that Ellaria, Dean, Brandon, Joshua and Jared brandished alongside a good score of other herders who could manage to get their hands on them.

When they reached the inner courtyard beyond the chainlink, electrified fence surrounding the headquarters, Ellaria was unprepared for the amount of bloodshed that had already had shed. The first of the cattle to hit the electrified fence laid smoking and blackened in heaps alongside the toppled fence, a few Peacekeepers either struggling or dead beneath them, creating a large pool of blood and charred hamburger meat. The smell made her stomach roil and bile to rise in her mouth, but she forced herself to observe her surroundings and to keep it from rising. She felt Dean's comforting hand on the back of her shoulders as their horse's picked carefully around the corpses and the more she saw, the more sickened she became.

The rest of the cattle that had fallowed were wrecking havoc among the small groups of Peacekeepers that had been roused from the commotion. The bulls especially wrecked havoc, goring the white uniformed men and woman on their sharp, dangerous horns, and charging into full battalions, where they swatted them aside like an angry child could a mountain of blocks, their breath shooting forth from their snorting nostrils before they were finally taken down with scores of arrows and bullets.

She and Dean stood there on their horses for a moment, the other herders galloping past them to leap into the fray. "Looks like we're going to be successful after all . . ." Dean spoke in clear shock that the plan had actually worked, and Ellaria swallowed heavily.

"Today we probably will, but . . . tomorrow is another story. The Capitol won't take any news from District 10 for granted. They'll send more troops and either we need to be ready or pray that District 13 catches on and sends help!" He glanced at her.

"But surely District 13 will! They'll see any rebellion against the Capital as a new force of supporters!" He spoke, and Ellaria shrugged helplessly.

"You never know, Dean . . . you never know when it comes to District 13."

Harsh screams met their ears and their eyes turned onto a man getting trampled by a bull – a Peacekeeper. His bones broke under the full weight of the bull before the horn entered his soft stomach seconds later. Blood spurted from the wound along with his guts and Ellaria's breath caught in her throat as she turned her eyes away. Her vision started to fade as bile rose fresh in her throat again.

"Ellaria . . .? Ellaria, are you alright?" Dean asked her in clear concern as his hands reached over to take her, but a strong voice calling her name interrupted his. She heard the powerful pounding of horse's hooves reverberating in her ears as she collapsed off her horse, falling into a couple of strong arms moments later. Jared roared her name as he held her, warm and snug in his arms and it was then, as she gazed up at his handsome, worried face, that her world finally went black.

* * *

That night after the battle was horrible. Pain had turned the strongest man into a blubbering baby, which alone, was unsettling to see. Ellaria had seen it often enough when she and Jared would walk through the lines and lines of the wounded on their way to the makeshift quarters they shared together. She had awoken sometime after passing out, in the shade, while the others were busy tending to the wounded and the dead. She awoke, hearing some men cry for the soothing touch of their wives or even God, but most she heard cry for the mothers that had suckled them when they were babes. The sounds made her want to pass out all over again. The pain of seeing these grown, fierce men topple like cold corpses when they were pierced by a Peacekeeper bullet, made her want to break down and go mad. All the blood and guts that would forever stain the dusty, dry grass floor . . . it was maddening . . . it was inhuman . . .

But the nightmares were the worst. They kept her from sleep, wrapping her in chains of guilt and terror whenever she tried to. The last nightmare had caused Jared to finally awake himself, where he had tried to wake her, terrified at the force and tenor of her screams. She had been riding down a Peacekeeper, a gun in her hand and right when she pulled the trigger, releasing round after round into his body, the Peacekeeper transformed into Jared. That was when she started screaming, causing Jared to wake her, yelling her name in order to be heard over her terrified screams that she was pretty sure had awoken the whole camp.

When she finally awoke, she clung to her massive husband as tears rolled down her eyes and sobs came billowing forth from her sore throat. He hugged her to him tightly – protectively – shushing her with gentle touches and words, like she was a frightened mare ready to bolt. In a way, she was. She wanted to run from this bloodshed, from the pain of her fellow Herders . . . run from what she had done – from what she had _forced_ them to do!

"Ellaria – Ellaria, listen to me - it had to be done!" Jared whispered to her quickly as he shushed her, his fingers moving aside the locks of hair sweat-slicked to her skin. She shook her head, her hands tightening on his bare biceps, her nails digging into the taut skin of his arms. His flesh was warm underneath her fingertips – warm and enticing.

"The blood, Jared . . . oh God, the _blood . . ._! The screams and frightened lowing of the cattle and horses as they were struck down . . .! I . . . I was responsible for _all_ of that -!"

Her eyes were wide with horror and fear and Jared shushed her again. "Ellaria, you knew that when you started this that there would have to be casualties – all battles have casualties! But you didn't do this because you wanted to! You did this so we could all be free!" He spoke quickly before he planted a comforting, loving kiss on her lips, his large, strong hands framing her face as he did so. "But I'm here beside you! I'd do anything to keep you safe from them! I'd do anything to chase the dreams away if I could!" Ellaria swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she clutched at him. Her grip loosened slightly but didn't entirely abate.

"I didn't . . . I didn't want our child to be born into _this_ world, Jared! I wanted him to be born into a different world – a _better_ world – a _free _world!" She spoke, her voice still thick with tears and Jared nodded as he held her close.

"I know, Ellaria, I know!"

"Can you fault me for that? Can you honestly fault me for that, Jared? Can _anyone _fault me for that?" She asked him, and Jared shook his head as his hand moved down to gently settle over the slight swell of her stomach - the place where his child slumbered beneath her heart.

"It's my child too, Ellaria - of _course_ I can't fault you for doing what we did today!" Her eyes closed at the feeling of his hand on her stomach – the glorious warmth of it settling there, and a tear slipped free from underneath one closed eyelid. His other hand moved up and caressed her face, his thumb wiping away a tear. "I'm here, Ellaria . . . I'm here . . ."

Their lips connected then as he whispered those words, deep and passionate and warm as she fell back on the bedroll underneath him, Jared's weight descending comfortably down onto hers, his hips moving snugly in-between her legs. She begged him to take her in hushed words, pleading with him to take the pain away, and when he finally did so, his body sinking into hers with a slow deliciousness that filled her and made her whole, she closed her eyes and keened out her pleasure to the night sky and the still air around them.

When they fell asleep later that night, after finishing making love, Ellaria was happy that she fell asleep without fear or terror. She didn't have a nightmare either; for Jared was right . . . he kept the nightmares away.


	2. Chapter 2

The first District 13 hovercrafts that landed outside the ruins of District 10's Peacekeeper Headquarters arrived the next morning after the initial attack, and when it had been clearly evident that District 10 had been successful in its rebellion.

They had been busy sorting the dead when they arrived, separating Peacekeepers and herders from cattle and horses. The cattle and horses would be butchered for meat if they hadn't spoiled, but the Peacekeepers and herders would be buried. They believed in freedom . . . they weren't barbarians that didn't bury the dead.

"Ellaria!"

Ellaria looked up from the corpse of a herder that she had recently dragged from underneath his dead horse with the help of another herder, and saw Jared approaching her with a man almost as muscular and huge as Jared himself was. The only difference was that Jared was young – twenty-one, whereas this man was in his mid-forties with close cropped gray hair and blue eyes. He also possessed the incredible posture of a trained soldier, and was dressed like one as well.

"Who is this, Jared?" She asked him quietly, with curiosity lacing her features, and the man smiled and nodded in greeting.

"I assume you are Ellaria Winchester, the mastermind behind this rather . . . _ingenious _rebellion?" He asked, and Ellaria didn't speak as she got to her feet from where she had been keeling beside the herder's corpse, and wiped her hands off on her pants before speaking. She moved to Jared side as she did so.

"You assumed right. Now who are you?" She asked perfunctorily, and the man inclined his head again before he stuck out his gloved hand. She took it and they shook hands. He had a firm grip, but she could tell that he was surprised by hers by the way his eyes widened slightly in shock. Spending her whole life herding and roping cattle had made her develop muscles that gave her a lithe, corded frame. Then again, all women of District 10 held the same frame, or similar to it.

"The name's Lieutenant Boggs. I'm President Coin's right hand man, and I'm here from District 13. We heard about your successful rebellion and we're here to offer any assistance we can."

"Where were you during the actual fight? We could have used you then." Jared spoke gruffly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Boggs's eyes moved slowly up and down Jared's imposing frame, silently appraising him.

"You surround yourself with capable men, Mrs. Winchester . . . I commend you. It took me all of thirty minutes to persuade this young man to allow me to see you. Is he your husband? If so, then you chose well, I must say!" He spoke, barely taking his eyes off of Jared, and Ellaria smiled tightly.

"Thank you, I'm rather proud of him too!" She spoke before she withdrew her hand from his, only to cross her arms in front of her chest. "You want to help, Lieutenant, fine – we got plenty to do and I'm not one to turn away hands when they're offered!" She gestured to the dead herder at her feet. "The dead need to be buried properly – with a proper ceremony – Peacekeeper and herder alike. We may be herders and rebels, but we aren't barbarians. Everyone's human, including the Peacekeepers, and they too deserve a funeral, same as everyone else, do you understand?" Boggs held up his hands and nodded.

"Fair enough, continue . . ." Ellaria pursed her lips slightly before continuing.

"The animals need to be butchered for meat before they spoil - the rest properly disposed of before they can breed disease if they have spoiled. We have wounded that need physicians and nurses immediately, and if you really want to help, you'll send for more men. The Capital isn't going to handle this rebellion lightly. They're going to attack back and they're going to attack back soon, with forces aplenty!" She told him, equally as gruff as her brother had been, and Boggs couldn't help but be impressed by this young woman. As tiny and petite as she was, Ellaria Winchester's body was lithe and corded with hard muscle – the same as her husband and brother, except Jared was much taller - and he wouldn't doubt the fact that she could throw down and kick some serious ass if need be. Just the mere fact that she had orchestrated this rebellion – almost single-handedly – and _succeeded_ was enough to impress Coin and the others. She was as sharp-witted as she was able-bodied, something that Coin couldn't risk passing over.

Boggs respectfully inclined his head to her. "Of course we will help you, Mrs. Winchester. I'll send for more men to arrive here when we arrive back in District 13." He told her, and both Jared and Ellaria furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean, 'when we arrive back in District 13'?" She asked him, and Boggs shrugged.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. I've been sent to offer help, yes, but I have also been sent to bring you back. President Coin thinks you will be immensely helpful to our cause, and we are in desperate need of able-bodied soldiers to combat alongside our Mockingjay," He shrugged. "In other words, you're too important to _not_ bring back to the District!"

"That's impossible - she's needed here!" Jared spoke up before Ellaria herself could speak, and Boggs turned his steel gray eyes onto him.

"President Coin also commanded me to take her by force if need be." He spoke and Jared gritted his teeth as he stepped in-between his wife and Boggs.

"If you want my wife, then you'll have to get through me, _Lieutenant_!"

"Gladly – just continue to stand right where you are now -!"

"Try it, I dare you -!"

"That is enough – the both of you!" Ellaria snapped out as she put a hand to her head. Boggs and Jared continued to try and stare each other down for a moment before Ellaria rolled her eyes and placed a gentle hand on Jared's shoulder, causing him to reluctantly back off. "This is no time for a dick measuring contest! If the President requests my presence in District 13, then I will happily oblige her, love!" She spoke, and his eyes shot onto her, his mouth opening in a retort, but she silently shook her head, causing him to come to an abrupt stop. "You and Brandon are more than capable of running things here in my absence, and Dean and Joshua can help too! You all know what to do, and when soldiers from District 13 arrive, you will be more than equipped to take on the Capital soldiers they will surely send! You don't need me nearly as much as you think you do!"

Boggs had to admit, she argued like a lawyer, and he could see in Jared's eyes that she was winning. "And besides, I would much rather go peacefully, then go slung over this guy's shoulder like a bag of feed! What does that tell the others?" She told him, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and Boggs's eyebrows rose in amusement. He continued to be amazed by this woman.

Jared stood there for a moment, thinking, before he slowly nodded. "Fine . . . if you think you can handle it, Ellaria, then I won't object!" He spoke, and she gave him a small, comforting smile.

"I just won a rebellion against the Capital, Jared, with just a herd of cattle and a handful of mounted herders with objects that could barely be classified as weapons! I'm pretty sure I can survive District 13 and anything it can throw at me!" She told him, and Jared grinned and laughed a little as he nodded and gingerly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I suppose you can . . ." He spoke, his voice still laced with uncertainty, and Ellaria smiled another small, comforting smile before she moved over to him and pulled him down to her. Even standing on her tip-toes, she still had to drag him down to her in order to plant a loving kiss on his lips. It deepened slightly and he wound an arm around her waist as he brought her closer.

"You take care of everyone, you promise?" She asked him, and Jared nodded.

"You don't have to tell me twice baby!" He spoke, and she nodded before her eyes started swimming with tears.

"And you take care of Doc too, you understand? I think . . . I think he might have pulled a ligament during the battle, and I don't . . . I don't want to come home and find him lame!" She told him, and Jared nodded.

"I'll check him as soon as you leave, I promise! I know how much you love that horse!" He spoke before he swallowed heavily. "Now . . . you take care of my child, you understand?" He asked quietly, and Ellaria nodded and they stood there for a minute before embracing tightly, both of them knowing that it would most likely be the last time they would see each other for a very long time. "You take care of yourself, love, okay?" He asked her gruffly. "You come back to us after all this is over, _do_ _you understand_, Ellaria? You come back to us and you make sure that you're safe and sound – with _my_ child in your arms!" Ellaria nodded as they broke apart from each other. He smiled sadly as he wiped away the tears with his thumbs.

"You know I will, Jared!" She spoke quietly, and he smiled and kissed her again.

"Good luck out there! You did a lot . . . it makes sense that you're the one to go and meet the driving force behind all this!" He told her, and she smiled and nodded. They embraced lingeringly one last time before she walked off with Boggs, over corpses that had yet to be buried or butchered, to a hovercraft idling a little ways away from everything.

Boggs reached the hovercraft first and held open the door, allowing her to get inside first before he climbed in himself. They sat down and strapped themselves in before the hovercraft gently began to rise. "I know how hard this is for you . . ." Boggs told her, his gruff voice quiet, and Ellaria shook her head.

"They always say that . . . and they never do." She spoke, back to her hard, stonewalled, no-bullshit self and Boggs smiled.

"Well, I do. I know what it feels like to leave your family and know that you might not ever see them again," He told her, and she ignored him until he sat up slightly and dug around in his back pocket. She turned her eyes on to him when he withdrew a worn leather billfold. He reached inside and took out a tattered photograph of a little girl, blonde waves and blue eyes shining in the sun. "That's my daughter – Nora. I left her and her mother when this rebellion started and went to join Coin in District 13. I left them back in District 11 . . . I don't know if they're alive or dead anymore . . ." He grew silent as he replaced the photo back in his billfold and returned it to his back pocket. "You say I don't know what you're feeling like, but I do, Mrs. Winchester. I know better probably than anyone else in Panem!"

Ellaria turned her gaze back outside the window, knowing she had just been severely but gently reprimanded and the only thing she could think about – could be angry about – was that she didn't tell her horse – her Doc – goodbye, or that she would never again lie so intimately in Jared's arms like she did the previous night.


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived in District 13 when sun was just starting to fall, bringing with it the coolness of the night. The hovercraft touched down gently on the tarmac, and the door opened moments later, Boggs stepping out first in order to help down Ellaria. She was still dressed in the atypical District 10 garb of faded blue jeans, heavy leather boots and a flannel shirt, and felt completely out of place when they descended into the bowels of District 13 and she saw the armed soldiers garbed in the typical soldier armor. Boggs sensed her slight discomfort and gently bumped her in the ribs with his elbow.

"Don't be scared . . . your safe here." He told her, and she nodded, although there was still a sense of steel underneath her skin that he doubted would ever fully go away. She felt safest when Jared was there and at that moment, she in a strange place with completely different rules and a completely different feel, and he wasn't there with her. He was very far away from her, in fact, and she felt it keenly.

Boggs guided her through the maze of corridors with a constant gentle pressure on her back, and eventually, they reached a door with a keypad. After sliding an identification card and then typing in a number, the door slid aside, allowing them entrance to what looked like a conference room ringed with people.

Immediately, Ellaria's heart dropped down into her stomach. She figured she would only meet with Coin on her first day – she didn't think that she would have to meet so many people so soon!

She froze for a second before Boggs's hand on her elbow forced her to go on and when they stepped into the light, everyone grouped around the table stopped speaking. There were at least five people there, grouped around the table, three men and two women. One of them she knew immediately was the Mockingjay by the flawless gold Mockingjay pin on her sleek black armored breast, and the other had to be President Coin. She seemed to be about fifty years old, and her grey hair fell in an unbroken sheet to her shoulders. Her eyes were a pale grey that seemed to be able to see right through you. She also seemed remarkably plain for someone of her office. The men simply gazed at her with expressionless faces as Boggs prodded her up to the table, where she stood, trying not to tremble in nervousness. He left her then, and returned to his customary place on President Coin's right side.

"So . . . you are our little rebel . . ." Coin spoke, her quiet voice holding a thread of approval. Ellaria nodded.

"Yes, I am Ellaria Winchester. I led the District 10 rebellion . . . I was also the one who planned it."

"Quite ingenious if you ask me," Coin spoke, her eyes flitting to the surrounding people, who nodded or murmured their agreement. "We need more people like you here in District 13, Mrs. Winchester, if you ask me. It's an honor to have you!"

"Is that why you called me here, President Coin . . . to tell me that you need more people like me?" Ellaria asked her, her voice wavering with testiness, and Coin's eyebrows slowly rose in amusement. This young woman definitely was not like the other ones who had joined them. This young woman had backbone – common sense. This young woman, she could like.

President Coin laughed a little and shook her head. "No Mrs. Winchester that was not why I commanded Boggs to bring you here. I commanded Boggs to bring you here for another, more important reason. You are going to be a bodyguard to our Mockingjay . . ." She trailed off, nodding toward the tall brunette wearing the gold Mockingjay pin, and their eyes connected for a split second. The gray eyes of the Mockingjay met Ellaria's deep blue ones, and she smiled a weak greeting. Ellaria didn't return the smile, but turned her eyes back onto Coin.

"With all due respect, President, but if you truly want me to be useful to you, then please, send me back to District 10." She spoke, and Coin's eyebrows rose again. This time, however, it wasn't in approval, it was in slight curiosity.  
"Now why should I do such a thing as that, Mrs. Winchester?"

Ellaria sighed in frustration as she leaned forward on the conference table, her eyes finding Coin's, where she held them unflinchingly. She saw one of the men hold back an amused smile, and ignored him as she addressed the President. "You need someone to run District 10 who knows it, President Coin. I grew up there, I orchestrated the rebellion – _I know _District 10 like the back of my hand! Not-to-mention, that person also needs to be someone who the people know, who they're comfortable with – who they _trust_! They are comfortable with me and they trust me – how else would I have succeeded with this rebellion otherwise?" She smirked then, the expression making both Coin and Boggs' eyebrows go higher. "The herders of District 10 are an untrusting, hard lot. It takes a lot to earn their trust and loyalty, and I hate to say it, President Coin, but you hardly command trust and loyalty to a District that you've never set foot in without someone they trust to vouch for you!"

"She makes some good points, President . . ." The man who had gazed at her with amusement, spoke after she was done, his keen gray eyes pinned onto Coin, and the President pursed her lips as she gazed at him back, holding his gaze across the table.

"We need her _here_, though, Soldier Hawthorne! She is a perfect person to be a part of Soldier Everdeen's bodyguard - you know that as well as I do!" President Coin spoke before she turned her eyes back onto Ellaria's. "You make a very impressive case, Mrs. Winchester, I will give you that, but am I afraid that we simply cannot spare you at this time! Is there anyone else in District 10 that could take your place – someone that _you_ can trust?" She asked, and Ellaria reluctantly thought for a moment, her eyes connecting with Boggs. He smiled a small smile and nodded subtly. It was this look that made her slowly nod.

"My husband, Jared . . . he was the one that got us half of the herders that we needed for the assault. Without him, we probably wouldn't have succeeded. He commands respect within the District, and I can trust him with my life!" She spoke, and Boggs nodded in turn.

"I'll vouch for him, President. It took me all of thirty minutes to persuade the man that I was from District 13 and there to see Mrs. Winchester - not just a Capital spy there to assassinate her!" President Coin nodded in acquiescence.

"Very good - I'll assume that you need medical care and soldiers?" She directed her question to Ellaria, who nodded.

"Yes, President, that would be extremely helpful." She replied quietly, and President Coin nodded as she glanced at Boggs.

"Boggs, I trust that I will not have to tell you what to do by now . . ." She spoke, and Boggs nodded before he left the room, shooting Ellaria a warm smile before he left. President Coin sighed as she gazed at each of the people grouped around her again. "Someone will need to show Mrs. Winchester to her rooms. Soldier Hawthorne, will do you do the dubious honor?" The man with the piercing gray eyes nodded and stepped around the table to Ellaria.

"Of course President - right this way, Soldier Winchester . . ." He spoke curtly as he gestured to the door. She nodded back and they left the conference room side by side. They winded down the corridors to what Ellaria presumed was the sleeping quarters of the underground city of District 13, and it was then that he looked down at her and smiled a small smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm Gale . . . Gale Hawthorne . . ." He spoke as he stuck out his hand. Ellaria smiled and nodded as she shook it, the both of them still walking as they did so.

"I'm Ellaria Winchester, but you already know that!" She laughed a little as he released her hand and it returned to her side. "Your President's certainly command worthy, I must say!" She spoke, somewhat sarcastically, and Gale grinned and laughed.

"Yeah, well, I promise that you get used to her abrasive personality! It might take a while, but you will." He turned an impressed look onto her then. "You held your own though . . . I'm impressed. Not many people can do that with her. They find her very . . . intimidating . . ." He told her and she smiled, blushing a little. Gale was a good-looking guy, tall and broad-shoulder, with his defined muscles, thick black hair and piercing gray eyes. He would definitely tempt her if she wasn't already married and pregnant with another man's child.

"Thanks, Gale . . . I guess . . ." She spoke as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Gale chuckled a little.

"Don't mention it! Now, here's your compartment, I think . . ." He spoke as he swung open a door and stood back to allow her admittance to her quarters. She stepped inside, noting the blandness of it all, with the double bed against the far wall draped in steel gray covers, and the built in wall shelf for her possessions – when she acquired some, that was.

"It's all . . . rather bland, don't you think?" She asked him, glancing behind her at him, and Gale shrugged, grinning a little.

"I'm a man, Mrs. Winchester -"

"Please, call me Ellaria!" She interrupted him as she turned around to face him. "I cannot _stand_ to be called the same name as my husband's mother!" Gale grinned and inclined his head.

"As you wish, Mrs. Winchester – I mean, Ellaria! But as I was saying . . . I'm a man, and I don't really give a flying fuck for decorations as long as I have a place to sleep at night!" He told her, grinning charmingly, and Ellaria laughed.

"Yeah, I suppose that's fair. My husband is the same way . . ." She told him and Gale chuckled as he continued,

"The lavatories and showers are just down the hall - you can't miss them. In the morning, you come over here . . ." He moved to a nearby wall with a hole in it and rapped his knuckles on it. "Stick your arm in here and you're automatically imprinted with your daily schedule, which, unfortunately, is mandatory. Don't worry, its painless!" He smiled reassuringly when he saw her slightly nervous face. "Dining hall is also down the corridor and once again, you can't miss it. Any questions, so far?"

"Yeah . . . when I can see you again?" She asked and a grin automatically split across Gale's handsome features. Ellaria closed her eyes and shook her head, though. "Its . . . dammit, I didn't mean it that way! I simply meant . . ." She sighed and threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I'm new here, and it would make me feel better to know that I have a friend willing to watch my back and guide me for the first few weeks until I get used to things and I know where everything is . . ." She told him and Gale nodded, the grin disappearing from his face, but his eyes still retaining it.

"Well, you'll make friends pretty quickly here – that I have no doubt, but . . ." He nodded his head as he took a few steps closer to her. She bit on the inside of her cheek to both keep back the blush that forced to bloom on her cheeks and that forced her to turn her gaze up onto him. "I'll have that honor. You'll see me tomorrow at breakfast, I promise!" He told her and Ellaria smiled and nodded as he grinned again and left, closing the door behind him. She turned around and observed her room again, although her mind stayed on Gale . . . knowing that he would come to play an important part in her future.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, she tossed and turned in her new bed, her body not used to sleeping in one that wasn't her own and without a body that lay hard and protective behind or beside her. The low thrum of the air conditioning kept her awake, for she was more used to the sound of crickets, the lowing of cattle and the howls of coyotes in the night than anything remotely sounding mechanical. The darkness was also encompassing . . . there was no moon that shone in through a dusty window. It was complete blackness and for once in her life, Ellaria felt herself become slightly afraid of the dark.

Regardless, that morning, she awoke bone-tired and weary, feeling like the scant hours of sleep that she had managed to get, had done her more bad than good.

She dressed in the sleek black armor that had been waiting for her on one of the shelves, and rolled up one of her sleeves in order to stick her arm into the hole that would give her, her schedule for that day. After a moment in which a low beep was issued, she withdrew her arm and gazed down at it. Printed on the smooth skin of her forearm, in green block lettering, lay out her schedule. First came breakfast, then she was destined for the medical bay for a mandatory check-up, and then after that, reflection (whatever that meant). The last two things on her list was hunting and then training.

Hunting? What the Hell did she do to get Hunting?

She shrugged it off, opting to just ask Gale when she saw him that morning, and left her compartment. After cautiously moving down the corridors looking for the dining room, she finally found it a few meters from the bathrooms, and the smells alone almost made her gag. She had never liked the smells of boiling turnips, and that was exactly what the smell that wafted under her nose that morning was.

Great – that was just great. Not only had she awoken bone-tired and weary, but now was she developing a little case of the morning sickness. She glanced behind her to make sure where the bathrooms were just in case, before she moved further into the dining hall. Her arms wrapped around her stomach as her nose wrinkled up in disgust.

"Yeah, it's not exactly that appetizing, but believe me, you'll soon want it while you can get it!" A deep male voice greeted her from behind, and Ellaria grinned and turned around, where she saw Gale approaching her with two trays of food. One he handed to her, and she took it with a small smile of thanks. "Come on, you can sit with me." He spoke as he led the way to a table not yet occupied. They took a seat opposite each other, and it was then that Ellaria chose to speak.

"Hey, um, something confusing popped up on my daily schedule this morning . . ." She spoke and Gale furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion as he spooned up some of the bland looking mash and put it in his mouth.

"Define 'confusing' . . ." He spoke when he swallowed it, and Ellaria shrugged as she picked up her spoon and poked and prodded at the mashed turnips on her tray.

"Well, I suppose it's not _that _confusing, but . . . 'hunting' showed up as the second to last thing of the day I have to do . . ." She spoke, glancing at him, and immediately recoiled slightly when she saw an equally confused look on his face.

"That's . . . that can't be right!" He shook his head. "I and Katniss have hunting – _just _us! It was a special deal we had with Coin!" He spoke and she shrugged.

"I mean . . . I guess I don't have to go if it's that much of a problem. I mean, I've never been hunting before anyway, so . . ." She laughed a little, and Gale shook his head.

"No, forget it, Ellaria! If it showed up on your schedule, then there's a reason for it! Coin _had_ to have had a reason for putting 'hunting' down on your schedule!" He grinned. "Besides, who am I to complain? It's not every day that I get to spend a day in the oh-so-private woods with a beautiful woman!" Ellaria grinned and spooned up a bit of her mashed turnip.

"I bet you say that to every woman, Gale!" She spoke, not able to hold back the grin that eventually spread its way up her face as well, and he shook his head.

"Nope . . . just you . . ." He spoke quietly, and she continued to grin as she pinned her gaze onto him. Steeling herself, she shoved the spoonful of turnips into her mouth before she could even think of stopping herself. Gale laughed at the face she made as she forced herself to swallow them down. She sat there for a few moments before she put her hand to her mouth and shook her head.

"How do you handle these – they're _horrible_!" She managed to cough out as she fought to keep it down, and Gale continued to laugh. He watched as she tore her bread in half and shoved a piece into her mouth. At that moment, she would have done anything to keep that slop down!

"It's like I told you previously, they're not exactly that appetizing, but you'll soon want as much as you can get! They're a staple of our diet here too, unfortunately!" He told before grinning and raising a hand. "Hey man, over here!"

Ellaria furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion as she turned around at the wait to see who was coming. She watched as a muscular man with flaming red hair, took a seat beside her, his tray coming to rest on the table before him. Gale nodded. "How you doing, man?" The man nodded his answer as he turned his smiling eyes onto Ellaria. She returned his smile.

"Hi, I'm Ellaria. I'm new here, in case you haven't noticed!" She introduced herself genially as she held out her hand to him. The man simply smiled and nodded a greeting to her as he shook her hand. Her eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as they parted. "And you are . . ."

"His name is Pollux . . ."

Ellaria turned around in surprise, only to see two more people walking towards them, a guy and a girl. The girl looked amazingly familiar and she smiled gently when she closed the distance between them. "I'm sorry, you look terribly confused! I'm Katniss . . . Katniss Everdeen. I was at the meeting with Coin when you first got here. Seems like you've already met Gale . . ." She told her as she and the other man moved to sit down beside them at the table, their trays of food in their hands. The other man smiled as he stepped up to Pollux while Katniss took the place next to Gale.

"And I'm Castor. This is my brother, Pollux. He used to be an Avox in the Capital." He explained and Ellaria's eyes immediately widening in both interest and apology. Avoxes were merely rumors in District 10, something that the people had only heard of – never actually saw. Meeting one was fascinating!

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything -!"

Ellaria was interrupted by Pollux shaking his head and holding up a hand of silence. He gazed at her reassuringly, as if to tell her that it was okay, that he didn't hold her actions against her. He must get her reaction a lot.

"So, Ellaria . . . you're to be one of my new bodyguards, I understand?"

Ellaria jumped at the politely inquiring tone of Katniss's voice, and nodded as she turned her attention back onto the girl that was more close to her age than she had originally thought. "Uh, yeah, that's what Boggs told me, anyway . . ." She told her and she caught Gale smiling across to her.

"What are your talents, fighting wise? I already know that you can't hunt!" He asked her, slightly teasingly with a slight grin, and she grinned and shrugged back, missing the look of slight interest on Katniss's face at Gale's gentle teasing.

"Well, when I led the uprising in District 10, there weren't many weapons to use, so -"

"It's so hard to believe that you led that uprising! You're so . . . _tiny_!" Katniss spoke up, suddenly interrupting her, and they all laughed at her awed words. Ellaria nodded, noticing the look of sudden expressionlessness on Gale's face.

"Yeah, I get that a lot, believe it or not. Most people don't attribute people of my size, to District 10. They think only big, muscular people can herd, but it's quite the opposite! I'm small, but I'm fast and I can kick like a horse from what I've been told!" She told them, meaning to be joking, but the looks of awe on their faces at the mention of a horse, floored her. She kept forgetting that a lot of the animals in District 10, the other Districts didn't have and had only heard about, _including _horses.

At the mention of horses, though, she immediately thought of Doc and tears immediately starting building up behind her eyes. She wondered what they had done with his body if for some reason Jared had not been able to save his leg and he had struck up lame, and then she realized that they had most likely butchered him for the meat to feed to the poorer families. It didn't matter if the kind and playful chestnut gelding had been the only friend to one of their own – dead, he was still food. There would be nothing Jared could do to protect him – the new leader of the District or not.

Tears must have been clearly shimmering in her eyes, for she felt a comforting hand fall onto her shoulder. She glanced to the space beside her and saw that the hand belonged to Pollux. She smiled a watery, thankful smile as she quickly wiped away her tears. It was one that he returned, and gladly. However, when she turned her eyes back onto Gale, she found him gazing at Pollux with the same expressionless face, except this time there was certain hostility in his eyes that Ellaria couldn't ignore.

Was he . . . could he be _jealous_?

She shook her head and threw the thoughts from her mind as Gale chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment before elbowing Katniss gently in the ribs. She gazed at him as she scooped up a spoonful of mashed turnips. "Hey, Catnip, it looks like Ellaria is going to start joining us for our hunting sessions!" He told her, and Katniss immediately turned an interested gaze onto her.

"Really now? I didn't think Coin wanted anyone else to do the hunting . . . just us? I thought she told us it was too dangerous for anyone else to join us!" Gale shrugged.

"Apparently, that doesn't matter anymore, 'cause Ellaria has it on her daily schedule for today! It's the second to last thing on her list, same as me." He spoke up and Katniss's face immediately melted from one of interest, into one of confusion.

"But . . . hunting isn't on my schedule today, Gale! Is it on yours?" Gale nodded, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as well.

"Yeah, like it is every Thursday! I just naturally assumed that it was on yours too . . . like it is _every _Thursday!" Katniss shook her head.

"Well it's not on my schedule for this Thursday! I have training in the spot where hunting normally is!" She told him while simultaneously placing the spoonful of mashed turnips in her mouth and turning to gaze at the imprinted schedule on her forearm. Ellaria swallowed heavily, not knowing what to make of this conversation between the two of them. There was hostility between Gale and Katniss at the mention that Gale had hunting with her and not Katniss – _open _hostility!

Katniss ended up shrugging though, her demeanor quickly becoming cheerful again, although not as cheerful as it had been. "Oh well, I suppose this one time won't hurt! You watch out for this one, though, Ellaria, he can be _quite _the charmer!" She told her with a grin on her face as she shot her a wink and Ellaria smiled a small smile as Gale rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Don't worry Catnip; I'll spare her my charms!" He promised her, and the smile left Ellaria's face as Katniss reached behind Gale and tugged on a lock of his coal black hair. Her voice was cheerful and teasing when she spoke, but her eyes were as hard as flint.

"Yes, Gale . . . you _better_!"

* * *

"Well, you seem to be in tip-top shape; nothing to worry about!" The Doctor's voice was slightly cheerful as he finished taking Ellaria's pulse. "Heart rate is good, pulse is good . . . no lice or virus evident, and your baby is also doing wonderfully as well!" He glanced up at her as he jotted something down on the clipboard in his hands. "You take really good care of yourself! I can't say the same for most of the people that flee here!" Ellaria shrugged as he set down the clipboard and moved to look into her eyes one last time.

"Well, I did live in District 10 before coming here and we herded so . . . doesn't it make sense that I'm fit?" She laughed a little, and the Doctor smiled and nodded.

"It certainly does! Hopefully you'll stay fit here too – it really helps stave off scurvy and all those other nasty diseases. It'll also make your pregnancy run more smoothly too. What are your duties, do you know?"

"Oh well, I have Hunting today with Gale – Soldier Hawthorne – and I think I'm also going to be part of the Mockingjay's bodyguard for when she goes outside of the Districts. I also have training today as well. It's the last thing on my list of duties." She told him, and he nodded.

"Well, take it easy at first; I know how weary someone can be when they first leave their home for an unfamiliar place – even when they themselves don't know it! Drink lots of fluids and if you start feeling sick at any time that is not normal during a pregnancy, please feel free to come back! We're open 24/7!" He shrugged then. "You'll also have to take it easy when your pregnancy starts to become too cumbersome, but by the time that happens, I'm pretty sure you'll be happy to take a seven month long break!" She furrowed her eyebrows in shocked confusion.

"Seven months? Will it really be that long?" The Doctor nodded.

"I'm afraid it will. You'll have to quit your duties with the Mockingjay after month four or five, in which case you'll have to wait four months for the baby to be born and then a further three months for the bleeding to stop after the birth. Believe me - you'll be happy for the break!" He mentioned that he'd be right back, that he was going to go get something, but Ellaria barely heard him. Seven months? She would be out of commission for _seven months_?! What would she do for those seven months, when she was so cumbersome that anything having to do with physical exertion was damn near out of the question? He also made it sound like that she would give birth _there _and not home, back in District 10, where Jared and her family were.

The Doctor had returned by then, a small white bottle in his hands that he handed to her. "These are vitamins. Take them once every day. They'll keep both you and your baby in tiptop shape." He spoke and she turned a slightly confused gaze onto him.

"So . . . I'm going to be giving birth here, right?" She asked and the Doctor nodded a confused look on his face as well.

"Well of course! We have state-of-the-art facilities, a very clean environment and not-to-mention, anesthesia. You'll be perfectly fine and safe here, I promise!"

"But . . ." The bottle of vitamins seemed heavy in her hand and she swallowed hard before she spoke again. "My husband is back in District 10. This is . . . this is our first child. Will he be able to be here when I give birth?" She asked and the Doctor smiled apologetically and shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. That's up between you and President Coin, I'm afraid. Ask her." He spoke and she nodded numbly. He continued talking; giving her advice on what to do and what not to do to keep her pregnancy running as smoothly as it could given her duties. She didn't hear him, though. The mere idea that Jared would not be with her when she gave birth, was absolutely terrifying to her. She had always envisioned Jared being there with her, holding her hand and murmuring words of comfort and encouragement into her ear. She didn't want to give birth without him and she doubted he himself would want to be absent from it. She made a conscious decision to bring it up to Coin the next time she saw her.

The Doctor finished up what he was saying moments later and she smiled as she hopped down from the plastic bed she had been sitting on, to her feet, the bottle of vitamins still in her hand. She left the infirmary not soon after that and was on her way back to her compartment for her 'reflection' period, when she heard a voice calling her name. She turned around and smiled when she saw Katniss walking towards her, a younger girl trailing not far behind her.

"Hey, how are you doing? I noticed that you were coming out of the infirmary . . ." Katniss asked her when she neared her, her eyebrows furrowing in slight worry, and Ellaria shook her head.

"Oh no, it was nothing. I just had a mandatory check-up," She smiled. "I'm all good!" She spoke and Katniss nodded, the look of concern disappearing from her face, only to be replaced with a grin.

"Oh that's great! I'd hate for something to happen you when you first got here! You have a lot on your plate as it is!" She laughed and Ellaria nodded back, a chuckle coming forth from her throat as the younger girl smiled a small smile at her. Katniss sighed.

"Ellaria, this is my little sister, Prim. She volunteers sometimes at the infirmary with our mother . . ." She spoke and Ellaria smiled and nodded in greeting as she shook Prim's hand.

"Nice to meet you . . ." She spoke and Prim nodded back as Katniss turned her eyes back onto Ellaria.

"So where are you headed?" She asked, and Ellaria shrugged.

"Back to my compartment for reflections, I suppose. It's next on my list, anyway, so I suppose I should do it . . ." She shrugged then. "I think I might just go take a nap, though. I'm kinda tired; I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." She spoke and Katniss nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. You'll want your strength, especially if you have hunting and training back-to-back!" She spoke and Ellaria nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's what I figured . . ." She agreed quietly, and Katniss nodded her head, a tight smile on her face as she placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Well, we have to leave now, but have fun hunting with Gale!" Her tight smile disappeared then, only to be replaced with a good-natured, conspiratorial grin. "And I swear to God, tell him that if he tries anything, I'll rip his hand off!" She teased and Ellaria grinned and nodded although she noticed there was a certain brevity to Katniss's words that she didn't think would be there if it was anyone but Gale who she was going hunting with.

Grinning, she said goodbye to Katniss and Prim before they turned around and headed in opposite directions, Ellaria to her compartment and Katniss and Prim to wherever they were headed.

Ellaria let out a sigh of relief when she reached her compartment, the door opening moments later. She fell wearily inside, her feet carrying her to the bed of their own accord as she stripped off her boots, pants and jacket, only to collapse on the bed a few steps into the small space in only her black tank top and matching panties and socks. Her arms wrapped around her pillow and she buried her face into the soft squishiness. She breathed in deeply the scent, hoping against all futile hope that she would smell Jared but much to her chagrin, she didn't. She only smelled the typical clean cotton smell but that didn't bother her – not much, for before she knew it, she was deeply and dreamlessly asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Is it too much to ask for some little reviews? I mean, I gotta be doing something right to get story alerts, right? No? Sorry, forget I asked then ;)  
**

* * *

Ellaria let out a tired groan and buried her face deeper into her pillow as she was slowly drug into the realm of awareness by the knocking on her compartment door. She tried to ignore it and go to sleep, but it only came more persistently and reluctantly. She sat up on the edge of the bed, stretching when she did so. Her back popped pleasantly and she sighed as she got to her feet and moved slowly over to the door. She had been having such a nice nap . . .

She opened the door, her vision blurring slightly at the bright lights that immediately greeted her and when her vision cleared, she saw Gale gazing down at her in amusement. She rubbed tiredly at her eyes although she found herself a lot more clear-headed now that she saw it was him that was doing the knocking and not someone else.

"Yeah . . . what can I do for you?" She asked, and Gale laughed a little.

"Sorry to wake you up from your beauty sleep, but . . ." He slowly trailed off and she found herself craning her head forward slightly, waiting for him to continue, only to realize moments later the reason why he had trailed off.

She had stupidly answered the door in nothing but her tank top and panties. She had totally forgotten that she had stripped when she first entered the compartment.

Blush immediately bloomed across their cheeks and the air immediately became awkward between them. "Oh my God, Gale, I'm so sorry! I had totally forgotten -!"

"No, no, it's fine – really! I should have figured or realized -!"

They both stopped talking at the same time and stood there for a moment, feeling awkward and not really knowing what to do. When she finally summoned up enough guts to turn her eyes up to his, that's when he lunged at her. Gale's lips found hers unerringly, and she went ridged with shock, her whole body feeling as though it had been made from stone - heavy stone that made it damn near impossible for her to move of her own accord. He had to stoop to kiss her because she was so much smaller than him, but when his lips pressed roughly over hers, Ellaria tasted apples on his lips and soon, his tongue, for it wasn't until his tongue flickered along her bottom lip, that she finally responded, her eyes closing as she slowly parted her lips for him and allowed his tongue to slip fully inside her mouth. Ellaria's knees immediately went weak when he first caressed her tongue with his, but Gale's arms that wrapped around her waist, kept her upwards and prevented her from falling.

His kisses were skilled, practiced and vaguely intoxicating . . . the strong tongue in her mouth made her knees weak and desire to spear upwards through her core. They made her feel like a young woman again, hungry for more . . .

He pulled her hard up against him, pressing her firmly along his frame, from shoulder to thigh. Heat rushed throughout her body again and she grabbed at him, clinging on as though desperate for more contact. She whimpered as his large hands caressed their way down her back and over her waist, tracing her curves with authority until his hands cupped her ass, and her fevered flesh positively burned from the warmth of his hands through the thin clothe of her black panties.

Gale began to walk forwards then, further into her compartment, sluggishly, forcing her to move backwards with him until he had her pressed firmly against the far wall. Ellaria ripped her mouth away from his and gasped for air, her fingers tangling in his hair and pulling sharply as his mouth hungrily kissed its way along her olive-colored jaw and down her neck. His lips found the pulse point located there and he sucked down hard, causing Ellaria to throw her head back and moan out. With a low growl of satisfaction and approval, he shifted his hold and lifted her up, the movement seeming so effortless on his part. Her legs automatically hooked around his waist, the only thing separating them was a little thin strip of clothe that could very easily be torn or pushed aside – and that soon would.

Their lips quickly met once more in a violent and frenzied battle for dominance, their teeth scraping and their tongues clashing as wanton moans vibrated between them. Liquid fire rushed through Ellaria's veins and straight down to the apex between her thighs, and a scorching need quickly kindled there – a need that made her roll her hips against his hardened manhood in a flustered attempt to ease the throbbing as one of Gale's hands quickly fumbled to undo the belt to his pants . . .

* * *

A loud knock sounded through Ellaria's dreams with the volume of a foghorn, and she gasped awake, her body shooting upwards as her breathing shot labored from her lungs and as her legs trembled. Sweat slicked her hair and her scant clothing to her body and she blinked in slight confusion as another knock came at the door. She swallowed hard, her fingers running through her hair as she sat there for a moment, gathering her wits.

Had she just had a dream - a damn near _wet _dream . . . of Gale . . .?

She shook the thoughts from her head then and let out another gasp of breath. What the Hell was wrong with her? She was married – she wasn't supposed to be having very erotic dreams of guys she just met! It wasn't right!

She was torn from her thoughts by another, more persistent knock at her door and she swung her still shaking legs over the side of the bed, where she slowly got to her feet. Her legs acted like they didn't want to support her anymore and she almost fell as she stooped down to pick up her pants. She quickly slid them on and fastened them before heading to the door. The door slid open moment later, revealing . . .

Gale.

Ellaria's heartbeat immediately sped up at the sight of him, as well as the blood that pounded through her veins. Images of his hands clawing feverishly at her waist, the feel of his tongue, thick and deliciously full and skillful in her mouth, clouded her head and she had to swallow hard before she spoke, all-the-while fighting desperately to keep her breathing under control and to keep everything relatively normal between them.

"Gale . . . what are you doing here?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows together in what she hoped was confusion, and he arched an eyebrow in amusement as he gazed down at her. He was so much bigger than she was . . . she had felt so deliciously stifled against his chest when he had lifted her up to pin her so wantonly against him . . .

A shudder went up her spine, but luckily, he contributed it to the slight coldness in her room, than of feelings of budding desire for him. "Um . . . have you forgotten that we have hunting today? I was at the regular meeting point but when you didn't show up, I figured I would come find you; thought you might be lost." He spoke and she nodded and ran her fingers through her long dark hair. Yeah, that was right; they _did _have hunting together that day! Lucky her . . .

She nodded again and moved away from the door. "Y-Yeah, I knew that! I'm sorry, I . . . didn't sleep well last night so I came back here for a short nap during my reflection period. I guess I slept later than I had thought!" She spoke as she stooped down to pick up her coat. She shrugged it on before she stooped down again to pick up her boots. She moved to sit down on the edge of her bed as she began pulling them on, Gale staying in the doorway, leaning on the frame with his shoulder as he watched her.

"That's completely understandable. I know how hard it is to sleep in a strange place. Truthfully, I'd be shocked if you _had _slept good last night!" He spoke and Ellaria nodded and opened her mouth to say something but immediately gave an irritated 'tch' instead.

"Dammit, I think my zipper's stuck again!" She murmured in irritation and Gale nodded as he pushed himself off of the doorframe and moved to kneel down in front of her. Silently, he gently slid a hand underneath her calf and moved her foot onto his thigh as he gently slid her zipper down, freeing itself from the pinch of clothe it had been caught in.

"I can tell you've never really dealt with zippers before. You had it stuck in the cloth here!" He teased gently, a small grin on his face as he slid the zipper up her calf before shifting position to move to the next foot. He slid the boot up her leg before placing it on his thigh like he had the other one. She nodded numbly but didn't trust herself to say anything further. She only ended up swallowing heavily as he slowly slid the zipper up her other calf. Glancing at her with those beautiful, cool gray eyes of his, his strong hand slid slowly halfway up her inner thigh before he got to his feet and extended the same hand to help her to hers. It was done in such a swift, fluid movement, that for a moment, Ellaria had to actually remember that his hand had slid halfway up her thigh!

A bigger grin threatened to turn up the corner of his mouth after she sat there for a moment, still trying to get her thoughts together and to stop them from reeling at what had just happened. "You just going to sit there all day ogling me, or are you going to come on? We're burning daylight and Coin will be furious if we skip our hunting session for today!" He asked her and she shook her head and nodded as she took his hand. He pulled her to her feet and she immediately looked away to avoid looking into his eyes. He chuckled a little. "Why do you avoid looking at me so much, Ellaria?" He asked her, his voice unable to hide the interest that laced it, and she shrugged, a little laugh coming forth from her throat as she did so.

"I guess I'm just naturally a shy person." She spoke and even though those words sounded so lame, he accepted it with a nod as they left her compartment and headed down the corridors to the door that would take them to the outside world. They paused in a weapon room and he handed took a couple of bows off of the rack on the wall. He handed her one and took one for himself before he snapped a bracelet on her arm, explaining that this was simply a way for Coin to track them in case they got lost or were captured. They left the weapon room and entered the bright sunlight and cool breezed outside world moments later.

Ellaria grinned and turned her face up to the sky, her eyes closing in contentment. The sun's rays on her face felt amazing and the cool breeze that kissed her skin felt equally as good. She felt Gale's hand on her arm and she turned to gaze at him, only to see him grinning beside her.

"I bet I can race you to the woods, 'Laria!" He challenged and she shot him a playfully competitive look and shook her head. He hardly noticed that he hadn't called her by her full name but when she did, she realized that she didn't mind it so much.

"I call that a bluff, Soldier Hawthorne!" She tossed back and a scoffing laugh fell forth from his mouth as he immediately took off at a run for the woods, Ellaria taking off at an immediate sprint after him. Laughter filled the air around them and Ellaria playfully pushed him out of the way as they neared the fringe of the woods. She was so close, to the point where a screaming laugh of objection ripped forth from her chest as she felt Gale's strong arms wrap around her waist - lifting her up as he continued to run into the woods.

Twirling her in circles, her arms found themselves wrapped around his neck as he came to a stop moments later, his eyes finding and holding hers. The grins and laughter melted from them as they held each other's gazes, even when he gently lowered her down onto her feet. Blush burning her cheeks seconds later, she forced herself to look away and observe her surroundings instead of him. Gale's hands slowly left her as she spoke,

"So, uh . . . care to teach me how you hunt?" She asked, trying to sound cheerful, but with Gale's normally solemn personality back in place, it was hard for that cheerfulness to stay.

"Well, uh, it's not something that you can necessarily learn in just one day but if we continue to have this hunting block together, then you'll learn things in no time!" He spoke before forcing himself to bring up a smile. "Come on, I'll show you how to set traps. Our old ones have probably been sprung too . . ." He spoke and she nodded as she followed him, trying to be as quiet as he was being but finding it a challenge. It was one that he couldn't help himself but smile at.

"Yeah, see, we've caught . . . two rabbits by the look of it . . ." He spoke as he pointed to another trap not far from another and he nodded to one. "You mind getting him free for me while I do the other one?" Ellaria shook her head as she bent down at the trap and started to free the dead rabbit, Gale following suit with the second one. "So, uh . . . care to tell me _now_ why you won't look at me for longer than five seconds?" Gale asked and Ellaria stopped for a moment but continued on seconds later, a small smile on her face.

"I, uh . . . the way you look at me . . . it kinda unnerves me sometimes, I won't lie . . .!" She admitted and she could hear Gale's slight laughter at her words.

"How do I look at you? I thought I looked at you like I do everyone else!"

Ellaria glanced at him at his words, finding a grin on his face and she grinned a little too. "Not exactly, Gale. They're not exactly looks that one man should be giving to a woman who's already married and pregnant!" She spoke and she could see that it was Gale's turn to stop abruptly. Like her, he recovered quickly, however, and continued on with now resetting the trap.

"I knew that you were married . . . but not that you were pregnant . . ." He spoke, his voice slightly quieter than it had been, and she nodded.

"I'm two months along."

"He's a lucky guy . . ."

Ellaria stopped abruptly again and turned her eyes onto Gale at those quiet words. He slowly turned his eyes onto her as well and she swallowed heavily. Her heart started beating a frantic tattoo against her ribcage again and she forced herself to keep back the shiver that threatened to speed up her spine. "It's _those_ looks!" She admitted quickly but quietly, before she could stop herself. "It's whose looks when . . . when you look like you'd want nothing more but to pull me underneath you . . ." She spoke quickly before trailing off. She shook her head as she returned to her work. "They're just not the kind of looks that you should be giving me, that's all. Even though I don't mind them, they're still looks that Jared gives me – not you -!"

"Is he your husband?" His deep voice interrupted her, and she heard the rustling of the underbrush and the crackling underfoot of leaves and twigs as he made his way over to her. He kneeled down beside her and as she stuffed the rabbit into her pack, he began resetting the trap. She nodded.

"Yeah, he is." She spoke, her voice still quiet, and Gale glanced at her again. This time, they both stopped working and he smiled as he turned his gaze up to hers.

"You're right, Ellaria . . . I'd give _anything_ to pull you underneath me, and I won't lie. But like I said . . . he's a lucky guy. He actually gets to _do_ it . . . I only get to fantasize about it."

Ellaria couldn't help the blush that bloomed across her cheeks at those words and the slight grin on Gale's face as he returned to resetting the trap.


End file.
